Worldwide EV charge-points to reach 7.7m mark by 2017

By 2017, Pike Research forecasts that more than 1.5 million locations to charge vehicles will be available in the United States, with a total of nearly 7.7 million locations worldwide.

The Asia Pacific region will lead global EV charging equipment sales due to strong government incentives and directives in China, Japan, and Korea. Over the next several years, initial investments in public infrastructure from governments will give way to the private sector.

The “EV charging as a service” business model is growing as network operators look to provide electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) location and status information available on demand. These companies will integrate billing and aggregate power consumption to create new services that will help to stabilize grid operations and create new revenue streams.

Pike Research anticipates that EVSE retail prices will fall by 37% through 2017 as competition from large electronics companies and volume production push down costs. As basic EVSE hardware becomes more of a commodity, manufacturers will integrate their equipment with external storage units, home energy management systems, and smart grid equipment to add value and increase their revenue.